The Internet and the World Wide Web (hereinafter “the web”) have revolutionized the ways in which information is disseminated and shared. At any given time, the Internet enables millions of users worldwide to simultaneously access a wide variety of information and engage in activities as diverse as shopping, playing games, financial trading, among others.
At present, users can access Internet information through various “Internet appliances”, which are electronic devices configured with an Internet access system. Internet appliances include, but are not limited to, microprocessor based devices such as personal and portable computers, and handheld appliances such as personal digital assistants and electronic organizers.
Typically, the information is accessed through a connection to a “web page”, a multimedia composition that may contain text, audio, graphics, imagery, video, and nearly any other type of content that may be experienced through use of a computer or other electronic device. A web page may also be interactive, and contain user selectable links that cause other web pages to be displayed, forms that may be used by the user to submit information requested in the web page, interactive executable code, or other elements through which the user may interact with web pages. A group of one or more interconnected and closely related web pages is referred to as a “web site”.
A web site has a particular address associated with it called a Uniform Resource Locator (“URL”). To view a particular web site, users input its corresponding URL on a “web browser window” displayed by “web browser software”, such as Internet Explorer, available from Microsoft Corporation, of Redmond, Wash. The web browser software runs on the user's Internet appliance and is responsible for fetching the information displayed on the web site from a “web server” using a transfer protocol such as the HyperText Transfer Protocol (“HTTP”).
While most of the traffic on the Internet is initiated from personal computers, the growing demand by mobile business users to have access to Internet information from anywhere in the world has led to development of various Internet access technologies for handheld Internet appliances such as wireless telephones and personal digital assistants (“PDAs”). In particular, it has become increasingly popular to access information available in the Internet via PDAs, such as the Palm handheld devices manufactured by Palm, Inc., of Santa Clara, Calif., the Handspring Visor manufactured by Handspring, Inc., of Mountain View, Calif., and the HP Jornada manufactured by the Hewlett-Packard Company of Palo Alto, Calif.
A PDA provides computing and information storage and retrieval capabilities for personal or business use, often for keeping schedule calendars and address book information handy. Information is accessed by means of an electronically sensitive pad on which handwriting can be received. Currently available PDAs contain a number of useful local applications including an address book, a calendar, a memo pad, a calculator, and a to-do list, among others. Users are provided with a special pen called a stylus to write on the pad and “tap” on icons on the PDA screen corresponding to the PDA applications. In addition, PDA expansion slots may be used to enhance the PDA capabilities with a digital camera, a GPS receiver, a scanner, and other devices. Recently developed PDAs such as the PDA Phone manufactured by Samsung Electronics, Co., Ltd., of Seoul, South Korea, and the Kyocera QCP 6035 Smartphone manufactured by Kyocera Wireless Corp., of San Diego, Calif., combine the functionalities of a PDA and a wireless phone into a single handheld appliance.
The Internet is accessed on a PDA by means of a wireless modem and Internet access software. The wireless modem may either be internally integrated into the PDA such as in the case of the Palm VIIx, manufactured by Palm, Inc., or connected externally as an expansion module. External wireless modems include the Thinmodem manufactured by Card Access, Inc., of American Fork, Utah, and the various modems manufactured by Novatel Wireless, Inc., of San Diego, Calif. The Internet access software may consist of a microbrowser, which is a simpler version of a web browser with reduced graphic capabilities, and a variety of APIs (application program interfaces) and associated applications for formatting and displaying web pages on the PDA screen.
There are many advantages in being able to access the Internet with a PDA. The PDA is extremely mobile and can be utilized by business persons and consumers who are traveling or otherwise do not have access to a desktop computer. The PDA enables business persons and consumers to manage, share, and secure the information needed on a daily basis. A PDA user can access the Internet to read e-mails, search for a restaurant, obtain a map and driving directions, purchase airline tickets or shop, all without the need for a traditional, desktop computer.
However, accessing the Internet using a PDA has several drawbacks. First, it can be a very time consuming process, requiring users to work through many options in order to access the desired information. Many “taps” may be needed in order to browse the web and view other information stored in the PDA. Second, the wireless Internet connection may be unreliable, and the user may have to wait a significant amount of time to receive the requested information. Lastly, it can be extremely cumbersome for the user to access Internet information from local PDA applications.
For instance, a user who wants to obtain driving directions to or from a given address saved in the PDA's address book is required to perform a number of steps, including: (1) starting the address book application to get the address; (2) quitting the address book application; (3) connecting to the web site that provides driving directions; (4) and manually entering the address into an on-line form available in the web site.
In order to make travel arrangements for meetings listed on the PDA's calendar, the user must first quit the calendar application before connecting to a web site for making travel reservations, and then manually enter the departure date, time, location and destination, as well as a return date and time. Similarly, a user who is using the PDA's address book to find an e-mail address before sending an e-mail must first get the e-mail address in the address book and quit the address book application before starting the e-mail application and manually entering the e-mail address in the address field of the e-mail. In short, it can be inordinately difficult and time consuming for the PDA user to access Internet information from local PDA applications.
In view of the foregoing drawbacks, it would be desirable to provide systems and methods for automatically accessing Internet information from a local application on a handheld Internet appliance.
It further would be desirable to provide systems and methods for accessing Internet information associated with a data record of a local application on a handheld Internet appliance.
It still further would be desirable to provide systems and methods for automatically launching e-mail and Internet web sites from a local application on a handheld Internet appliance.
It also would be desirable to provide systems and methods for automatically launching a local application from another local application on a handheld Internet appliance.